All Forum Posts by: David Egger

http://mitcre.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Housing-Supply.pdf

My quality standards must be too high, in the video she says 'looks great to me', and I'm thinking 'it looks like crap!'. Give me 5 minute mud and I'll do it right.

What's your lease say about ending lease early?

I have a clause in my year-long leases that they can end a lease early by paying an extra month's rent (essentially taking their security deposit). But really, if they've been good tenants and you don't have any vacancy and they don't have any actual damages you need to fix between the two tenants, I'd probably give the deposit back, or at least a portion. I'd hold onto it for as long as you statutorily could in your state to make sure you don't find damages or issues after they've moved out.

They do make 10 year battery smoke detectors, I use them in my higher end rentals, cost about $20 each instead of the $5 for the cheap battery ones.

Most carriers have femtocell options for improving indoor coverage. If the problem is only indoors, it's likely that the carrier only has the high end of the spectrum in that area (or your walls are limestone/lead). AT&T's version is the Microcell, but Sprint and Verizon have similar options.

If it's a newer device/contract, it's very likely the new carrier or device that's the problem. The higher end phones aren't just more expensive because of advertising and bigger screens, they use higher quality antennas and use engineers instead of interns to make sure the antennas work.

That said, in your position, I'd be wary and if you do decide to rent to them, make sure they understand that wireless reception is not a guarantee in your lease. Even the carriers don't guarantee indoor reception. That's what POTS is for.

If she's got it in writing that you offered to refund the $1000 if she moved out, and then she moved out.... yeah, you owe her $1000. Your only real out would be if you made the offer on 8/25 and she didn't move out until 9/10, at that point she's incurred the September rent so you've at least got some defense, but do you really want to risk punitive damages?

I bought a duplex in Indy last year, running 55% COC, ($6k cash flow, $9000 cash dp + $2000 in immediate repairs) and the note is only a 5-year. Rough area, but I wanted a high-risk, high-reward opportunity to cut my teeth. I'm chasing rent each month, but they always pay late fees, so I consider that $100-$150 a month in late fees my compensation for chasing them. One side is moving out this month, but I expect to be able to turn it and fill it by November 1, losing only one month's rent.

Wish I could make the CIREIA meeting! I've been trying to get to one for months but they always fall on the same day as another event. This month it's a Kelley MBA Happy Hour - I'm on the board or I'd skip it.

You can always bump the rent in exchange - he's not going to move to another place 6 months before he moves to a house he's bought. I usually charge 10% more for month to month on my nicer rentals.

I don't have the hand steadiness for cutting in, and the blue or green tape never seems to seal 100%, so I found a trick that has worked very well for me. You put your tape down, then paint over the edge with the color of the opposing wall (i.e., white ceiling, painting wall red, you tape off and paint the edge white on the wall that's going to be red) This seals the tape and prevents bits of paint getting under the tape and ruining the ceiling/trim/etc. Then just paint over that and when you pull the tape, it's flawless edges every time.